Thursday, August 28, 2014

Is Kashmir Government Pro-Pakistan?

BJP reacts angrily to Jammu and Kashmir House resolution on talks with Pakistan

Days after the Centre called off foreign-secretary level talks, Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council passed a resolution seeking resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue, evoking an angry reaction from the BJP which dubbed it as anti-India and pro-Pakistan step."The House resolves that the state government must urge the Union government to resume the process of Indo-Pak dialogue to ensure peace and stability in the sub-continent in general and the state of Jammu and Kashmir in particular," reads the resolution.The resolution was passed on the day when Pakistani rangers resumed firing on the International Border after two days lull. "Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked fire of small arms and medium machine guns in the Pargawal sector on Wednesday night. Three BSF posts were affected by the firing. Fire started at 2350 hours for a brief period and then again at 0400 hours which continued to 0555 hours. BSF troops gave befitting reply," said a BSF spokesmanThe resolution also asked the centre to take effective steps to prevent the firing on the Line of Control (LoC). "This House resolves that the state government should urge the Union government to take effective steps for prevention of LoC firing which has caused huge loss of life and property in the affected areas," the resolution adds.An official spokesman said the resolution was passed unanimously after the members spoke in its favour. Earlier, three members — Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Kumar Gupta, both from Congress and Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah of National Panthers Party — sought certain amendments to the resolution. Later Monga and Gupta withdrew their motion while Shah staged a walkout from the House, the spokesman added.Soon after the resolution was passed, J&K state BJP hit out at National Conference (NC), the Congress and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) saying they will have to pay a very heavy price for taking "recourse to pro-Pakistan line on the cancellation of the India-Pakistan bilateral talks"."All of them acted as spokespersons of the rogue, terrorist and radicalized Pakistan by speaking its language in the legislature, denouncing the BJP-led government for the cancellation of talks with Pakistan, interfering in the Indian foreign policy matters and giving the separatist and communal constituency to understand that the NC-Congress coalition government didn't consider J&K an integral part of India," said Jugal Kishore Sharma, state BJP president.

Migrant Kashmiri Pandits too jumped onto the bandwagon criticising the resolution passed by the Upper House. "The NC government's eagerness to push a resolution advocating Indo-Pak talks in the face of peaceful Indian citizens being subjecting to cross fire and shelling is unjustifiable," said Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president of Panun Kashmir.